Turkey most ‘liked’ country in Mideast

ISTANBUL

Turkish FM Davutoğlu (R) talks to his German counterpart Westerwelle. REUTERS photo

Turkey retains its position as the most favorable country in the Middle East, a recent study conducted by the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) has revealed.

The study, called “Turkey’s Perception in the Middle East,” was conducted through face-to-face and telephone interviews with 2,800 people across 16 countries, including Iraq, Iran, Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Tunisia on Aug. 3 and 28.

Ccomparing with 2011 Ankara’s points dropped

The results showed that 26 percent of the participants perceived economic problems as the most important issue of the region while 10 percent saw the presence and threat of the West and 7 percent saw Israel-Palestine as the most important issues.

Among the participants, 69 percent chose Turkey as the most favorable country in the region with Egypt and Jordan trailing behind with 65 and 62 percent respectively. However Turkey’s position has dropped 9 points when compared to last year.

Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Iran are perceived as the most unfavorable countries.

For the first time, the study surveyed the regional power perception of the people. Twelve percent of the participants chose Turkey as a political power, followed by Saudi Arabia and Egypt.